Skies of Arcadia is clearly the Best RPG of the Year for the Dreamcast. In fact, it can easily
be called the best RPG yet to grace the system, and should hold that title for quite some time. Every
aspect of the game is lovingly crafted, it offers up just enough challenge to keep everyone happy, and
it blends classic RPG conventions with a creative new setting to yield a refreshing yet familiar experience.

In Skies of Arcadia, players take control of Vyse the Air Pirate in a world of 1800s technology,
and open air. Floating islands and continents in an endless sky comprise Arcadia's world. This allows
for truly 3D explanation, and a visually stunning setting. This bizarre world is home to many secrets,
a gripping story, and of course, wonderful gameplay.

The end of this year teemed over with games whose characters were designed to convey as much emotion as
possible. Shenmue used almost photo realistic graphics to attain this, while Final Fantasy IX
went the route of caricature. Arcadia's characters, while relatively simple in design, convey more emotion
than those in any other RPG ever created. Not only does the dialog rival Working Designs and Game Arts
in terms of liveliness, the characters' body language and even facial features give conversations that
extra boost.

Not only is it gripping, it's also fun. Battles use a unique resource management system creating the need
for a new kind of strategy. Dungeons are very creatively laid out and beautiful, resembling those from
the most recent Zelda titles. The world is packed full of things to discover and charming NPCs.
Simply put, Skies of Arcadia is an unblemished gem of a game, undeniably deserving it's title as
Dreamcast RPG of the Year.